Dante Exum has been regarded as the best point guard of this year’s NBA Draft class, and some scouts are saying he’s the closet thing to a young Kobe Bryant.
Not all feel the same, though.
Per Grantland, one scout expressed concern with the Australian and sees his potential being like one famous draft bust:
“I’m not putting my nuts on the line for this guy. I’m not drafting the next Tskitishvili. Now, the guys that saw him in Prague, if they’ve seen enough, then fine, but I can’t do it. There is no frame of reference. He’s going top five or six. But if you think it’s a lock to Orlando, they like Marcus Smart too.”
The scout is referring to Nikoloz Tskitishvili, who was drafted fifth overall by the Denver Nuggets in 2002. He ended up playing for only six seasons, averaging just 2.9 points per game for his career.
Hopefully whatever teams drafts Exum doesn’t let him end up that way. He has loads of potential to be great.